Page 26 - 1918 November - To Dragma

52 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
LAMBDA—LELAND STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Dear Girls:
I t is doubtless too late to greet you with a welcome back to college and is just about the busiest young person to be found. Caroline
for most of you have very likely been there for a good long time
already. Here, however, we have just passed the first three weeks
of opening days. Rushing has been quite as strenuous and exciting
as usual; and registering has taken its ordinary amount of time and
trouble, but these two, usually of prime importance, have dwindled
into comparative insignificance, for the moment at least, because of
the sudden arrival of a visitor of most abominable nature, Spanish
influenza by name. A t present, four of us are suffering from the
malady, and are, with forty others, quarantined in one of the frater-
nity houses here on the campus. I t was great fun at the beginning,
but the novelty is commencing to wear off, tempers are growing very
much worse for wear, and I fear that before we are out of this, a
general insurrection will have taken place.
We have all spent a very pleasant vacation this summer, even
though it has been quite different frpm our ordinary happy-go-lucky
playtime period. A number of our girls stayed here for the summer
session, others worked in the fruit during the rush season when help
was scarce, and still others devoted themselves to war work of various
kinds.
Though we have been back only three weeks, we have quite a list
of visitors from amongst our older girls to tell you about. Reba
Bland, who has recently returned from New York, came down to
spend the first week with us and to help us during rushing season.
Alice Moore ran in to see us for a day some time ago. She has a
splendid position as librarian for the Standard Oil Company in San
Francisco. Harriet Maines, who is teaching in the Salinas High
School, has been with us for the past week and has added much joy
to our familv round table. Irene Cuneo, another who is busy with
school work, found time to spend one day with us during the first week
after our return. Helen Montague Collins and her husband have
also been with us for a very short visit.
Now I must tell you the thrilling news of rushing season. We
have six of the very finest pledges ever to be found, and I assure you
that we are most intensely proud of them. Elaine Adrian comes to
us from Santa Barbara. Laura Davis from Santa Ana, Gladys French
from Hollister, Florence Hocking from Modesto, Ruth Meissner
from Lodi, and Belle Summers from Long Beach.
We are all very justly proud of our house president. Ruth Chandler,
who is this year occupying the most distinguished position held by
any woman in college, that is the presidency of Woman's Conference
TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 53
which is the supreme woman's governing body in the university. But
Ruth is not the only distinguished member of the house; for Mar-
guerite Roberts in now Advertising Manager of the Daily Palo Alto
Rockfort also is doing a great deal outside of ordinary routine duty
for she has charge of all the finances of the Woman's War Board
which is the primary organization under which all war work is carried
on.
A l l efforts of the university are this year concentrated upon war
work so that to attempt to tell it would mean an enormous task.
Therefore, may it suffice to say that our chapter is doing its utmost
to help on with this one great and foremost work of the nation.
Wishing you all a very delightful and worthwhile year,
C A R M A L E T E W A L D O , Chapter Editor.
IOTA—UNIVERSITY O F ILLINOIS
Urbana and "712" again! My how good it seemed to get back
to school and old friends after three months of vacation! But also—
how sad it made me feel that I was no longer a romantic junior but
a dignified senior, soon to "go out from school life into life's school"
and to help others in securing that which I was so fortunate to have.
Most of us got back on Wednesday, September 25th, and house-
cleaning started in earnest on Thursday. Such washing of windows
and making of curtains and draperies had never been surpassed—all
in preparation for the thing uppermost in all our minds—rushing.
However, before Monday, September 29th we were informed that
because of the unsettled conditions, rushing was to be postponed
indefinitely, which chanced to be one week. Hence, on next Monday
our two weeks' rushing begins. We have a very promising list of
"prospectives" and we hope to be able to announce a proportionally
promising list of pledges before T o D R A G M A next makes its appear-
ance.
We were all so glad that our charming chaperon, Mrs. Van Deman,
was able to be with us again and with twenty-four girls back we feel
quite encouraged. Muriel Thompson, '19, and Ora Williams, '21, did
not return. Muriel is at St. Luke's Hospital taking nurse's training
with the object of becoming a Red Cross nurse. Ora is helping to
"keep the home fires burning." However, Mabel May from Rho
Chapter joined our ranks, entering as a sophomore. We were cer-
tainly glad to welcome her as one of Iota's very own.
Upon our return we found things quite changed in many respects;
but it is as may be expected because of war conditions. The Univer-
sity of Illinois, like many other universities has an S. A. T. C. camp.